ᐅ Garden wall made of facing bricks with a change in elevation

Hello everyone,
I’m Wolfgang, 46, an electrician. I want to create a raised flower bed between my wooden deck and the lawn area, which is 30cm (12 inches) higher. The bed will run 5m (16.4 ft) along the deck and be 1m (3.3 ft) wide. The foundation is already planned. The brick wall, laid in stretcher bond, should be 50cm (20 inches) higher than the deck, so it will be 20cm (8 inches) higher than the lawn side. The goal is to have a single course of visible bricks at the top. On one end of the bed, there will be a step as access to the lawn, where the wall will be closed off or built up from the deck to the lawn. On the other side, a privacy wall made of bricks will be installed. The bed will be filled with topsoil up to 10cm (4 inches) below the wall edge.

Here are my questions:
- Will the single-course brick wall in stretcher bond withstand 40cm (16 inches) of earth pressure?
- What happens during winter if it freezes?
- How can I protect the inner side of the brick wall from moisture? The flower bed will, of course, be watered.

I would appreciate your help to get this right.
Best regards,
Wolfgang

Masonry is only able to withstand compressive forces. Tensile and shear forces cannot be resisted. This means the earth pressure will likely push your 11.5cm (4.5 inches) wall out of place. A 24cm (9.5 inches) wall might hold, possibly due to the low height.
L-shaped concrete blocks with cladding bricks could be an alternative.

That’s what I feared. I am considering raising the foundation 30cm (12 inches) behind the facing bricks, as a kind of "neck support," about 10cm (4 inches) thick. If this is a possible solution: do I need to take any measures against moisture? Bitumen coating?

I have a question for clarification:
Are klinkers the same as brick slips? Or are you referring to full bricks?

A few years ago, we had a brick wall built at the old house’s entrance area to act as a barrier against the sloping lawn. It was constructed double-layered with a rowlock course. The masonry was done using trass cement to prevent efflorescence.

I recommend a concrete wall faced with halved bricks (similar to brick slips). On top of that, add a rowlock course of whole bricks. It’s durable and looks great. It gives the impression of a solid brick wall.

Hello EveundGerd,

Thank you for your contribution. The plan was to build with solid facing bricks (facing bricks for better durability) without a finishing mortar layer, so that I would have a visible 12cm (5 inches) thick wall edge. But then I encountered the problem with shear forces...

A finishing mortar layer is purely a matter of personal preference, like with everything else.

You can also work without a screed layer, but it won’t work without concrete, and cladding concrete without a clean finish will eventually collect dirt and look unattractive. Wall capping slabs could be an alternative, or if a Mediterranean style is acceptable: beaver tail tiles as a finish. Not exactly cheap, but stylish.